Melbourne Music Week (MMW) has today revealed the hotly anticipated line-up for its extended summer program.
Returning for its 11th year, MMW’s program of free and ticketed events spans three months and, for the first time, features a 100 per cent local line-up of physical and digital events.
More than 330 artists will feature at more than 35 city locations and venues, across more than 200 events and sessions, with more artists and gigs to be announced in January 2021.
Melbourne Music Week–Extended is the first music festival to return to Melbourne, pioneering COVID-safe live music gigs for Victoria.
Supporting the recovery of the local live music industry is at the core of MMW–Extended, and this year’s event is the ticket to re-discovering the best of Melbourne’s live music scene as it returns.
Wominjeka (MMW Welcome) on Opening Night (Wednesday 9 December) will feature a Welcome to Country and City Wide Smoking Ceremony curated by Kee’ahn, including a performance by Aboriginal dance group Dijirri Dijirri and live programming across four city locations, with a show at Section 8 to follow.
The Music Victoria Awards will also take place on the Opening Night at Melbourne Recital Centre (and will be live-streamed) featuring a killer local line-up including Alice Skye, Elizabeth, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever and Simona Castricum.
Headline shows include ascending hip hop star, Baker Boy, at the Melbourne Recital Centre, iconic rock musician Adalita for a commissioned performance on the Grand Organ at Melbourne Town Hall, plus an audio visual exploration with Melbourne producers Ara Koufax and iconic DJ and academic Simona Castricum at the Capitol Theatre.
Fierce, tense post-punk trio, Cable Ties will lead The Forum’s Melbourne Music Week debut, while High Tension, stalwarts of the Melbourne metal scene, bring their blistering power to Max Watts in other headline events.
Melbourne Music Week–Extended is teaming up with some of the city’s favourite live music venues including Colour, Cherry Bar, Curtin, Section 8, Max Watts and more, to deliver Venue Presents featuring an ongoing line-up of gigs with local artists like Blake Scott, Banoffee, Mick Harvey, Private Function and Allysha Joy across the three-month festival.
A line-up of Outdoor Events will also form part of Melbourne Music Week–Extended, kicking off at The Third Day on Saturday 12 December with The Operatives Presents WE ARE 16, featuring Jordan Dennis, FOURA and more for an all-day party.
MMW–Extended Feature events include Techno Bingo (part seated party, part bingo) with a guest appearance from The Huxleys, a Vogue dance workshop with Kiki Dévine, and a new Wellbeing series featuring a Dog Day Afternoon with Henry Wagons (yes, you can bring your dog!) and Tai Chi classes.
The MMW Hub takes a back seat this year to instead focus on supporting Melbourne’s iconic music and cultural venues after months of lockdown, this year’s larger, longer and dispersed program across the summer months, offers greater flexibility for local artists, venues and businesses to be involved.
Melbourne Music Week is delivered by City of Melbourne, and thanks its valued partners for their support, including the Victorian Government, Ticketek, oOh!media, Beat, 3RRR and PBS.
Visit www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/mmw for tickets and to view the #MMW program.
Quotes attributable to City of Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp:
“Live music is a critical part of Melbourne’s nighttime economy and it usually generates $1.7 billion each year for Victoria and supports over 42,000 jobs,” the Lord Mayor said.
Melbourne is the Live Music Capital of the World and the sector was hit hard by COVID-19 so we’re excited to bring music back to the city with a 100 per cent local lineup.
We’re proud to be bringing live music back to your favourite bars, clubs and pubs.
“We’re working closely with venues to make sure we can welcome music fans back safely and keep musicians, promoters, and hospitality workers in jobs.”
